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Pandemic Influenza Plan - Questar III

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Section 3: Healthcare <strong>Plan</strong>ning and Emergency Response<br />

Local Health Departments:<br />

• Every county must have a plan in place for mass fatality dispositions<br />

that are outside of the current/standard means of disposal.<br />

• Conduct a meeting at the county level with all active funeral directors,<br />

firm managers, medical examiners and coroners to discuss infection<br />

control guidelines for handling the event. Guidelines should include:<br />

o Infection control precautions<br />

o Personal protective equipment<br />

o Environmental disinfection<br />

• Work with local OEM to:<br />

o Identify the surge capacity of the funeral firms in the county.<br />

o Identify the surge capacity of the Article 28 facilities in the county.<br />

o Identify the surge capacity, if any, at the medical<br />

examiners/coroners office.<br />

o Identify a threshold for the number of deaths within the county that<br />

will be used to determine when different aspects of the plan will be<br />

implemented.<br />

• LHDs continue to have ongoing communication with medical<br />

examiners/coroners and funeral directors.<br />

State Health Department:<br />

• Revisit guidelines, and revise and distribute with information specific to<br />

the virus.<br />

• Contact the Division of Cemeteries (1-212-417-5713) to identify the<br />

surge capacity for cemeteries and to assess their labor availability and/or<br />

labor issues.<br />

• Require registrars to develop an emergency staffing plan to address the<br />

anticipated surge in volume and registrar absenteeism associated with<br />

<strong>Pandemic</strong> <strong>Influenza</strong>. These plans should be shared with LHD and local<br />

OEMs.<br />

• Require medical examiners and coroners to develop an emergency<br />

staffing plan to address the anticipated surge in volume and absenteeism<br />

associated with <strong>Pandemic</strong> <strong>Influenza</strong>. These plans should be shared with<br />

LHD and local OEMs.<br />

• Work on streamlining the process and form for filing death certificates.<br />

• Coordinate actions with New York City Vital Statistics.<br />

<strong>Pandemic</strong> Period<br />

Funeral Firms:<br />

• Standard operating procedures for funeral firms. However, this may<br />

change depending on each Article 28 facility’s morgue surge capacity.<br />

(metropolitan vs. suburban vs. rural) Report pandemic influenza cases<br />

or fatalities as requested by the LHD and NYSDOH.<br />

February 7, 2006 3-44

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